WiFi disconnected

[BK5587]

My printer will not connect to WiFi anymore. In the past, I was able to reset by restarting Mac, Printer. This time it is stubborn and will not come back up. While reviewing all online posts, I came across the one to print the Wireless Network Test report, which 'failed' on Security and says "The Web Authentication method has been changed from the default setting". I was able to find the IP Address of the Router by connecting through Ethernet, but not able to get to 'Web Services' as this thread suggested. Any other option?

[asmita6658]

Hi @BK5587

Welcome to the HP Support Community. I'd be happy to assist you with the connectivity issue. 

Let's try the below steps to see if that helps -

1.) Remove All Barriers: Certain building materials can get in the way of weaker signals like Bluetooth. Metal, bulletproof glass, concrete, and plaster are particularly bad, and marble, plaster and brick aren’t great easy. So if you’re really struggling with interference, your first step should be to move your Bluetooth devices away from these materials. That means no brick walls between you and your devices, and definitely no metal desks!

2.) Change Router Channel: If you have an Apple router and you’re constantly getting interference with your WiFi, try rebooting it. Upon restart, the station will search for a new channel. Specifically, a different channel than the one your Bluetooth devices is using to communicate. If you don’t have an Apple router, you may need to instead go into your router settings and try changing the channel manually. Experiment with different channels to see which one works best.

3.) Move Closer to Your Router: If you often find that you’re getting interference when talking on a wireless headset while on a WiFi call (you’ll know because you’ll hear static), try moving closer to your router. This will give you a more robust WiFi connection, so the Bluetooth frequency can’t overpower it.

4.) Get Away From Microwaves and Fluorescent Lighting: Both emit frequencies of 2.4GHz, and moving away from them will distance you from the source.

I'd also like to know the following to isolate the issue further-

1.) Are the printer and Mac connected to the same network?

2.) Is your router dual-band enabled i.e., both 2.4GHz and 5GHz? If yes, make sure the dual band has different SSIDs for 2.4G and 5G networks.

3.) What is the distance between the router and the printer?

4.) Is there any antivirus software installed on your Mac?

5.) Could you perform a ping test using the Mac Network Utility and let me know the results? Use the printer IP address to perform a ping test, the printer IP can be located by selecting the wireless icon on the printer display.

The wireless status menu on your Mac should also give us quite a lot of information that would help us identify the issue. You can press and hold option-click the WiFi icon and then use shift-command-5 to take the screenshot. Press the space bar when the icon turns into a camera. Share the ping test results and the screenshot with us.

Reboot the router, printer and your Mac - 

1) Turn off the Router, Printer, and the Mac.

2) Wait for 60 seconds.

3) Turn on the Router first and wait for all the lights to stabilize.

4) Turn on the printer and allow it to configure itself.

5) Turn on the Mac.

Try updating the Mac using these steps - How to update the software on your Mac

Also, update the printer's firmware. Here's a document with step by step instructions - HP Printers - Updating or Upgrading Printer Firmware

Hope this helps! Keep me posted. 

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[BK5587]

Thank you so much for your detailed answer. Unfortunately, I have tried most of the suggestions and it always suddenly seems to work and after a few weeks loses its connection. I have gone through it several times and this time it came back after a few days. While going through some of the trouble-shooting suggestions online, I ended up connecting the router to my network using Ethernet. I am one of the lucky ones who wired the house with Cat 5 some 20 years ago. This meant I was able to print from wired and wireless devices on the same network. I will keep it wired connected in order to avoid any future issues with WiFi.